May – June 2023
Participants in Rennaisance Pleasure Faire often are members of Clans or Guilds which may have been together for many decades. In their Faire persona, some participants have wives, husbands, children, Family by choice of all kinds whom they may see one season a year at Southern Faire, a couple of times a year if they also do Northern Faire or more if they do other Faires. Faire usually lasts for six week ends, with three to six more for learning such things as how to speak the Queen’s English and how to Joust.
If participants live locally they may see each other between Faires. Or may not. Such relationships can lead to legal marriage which may or may not be poly.
Relationships like this can span decades and last through one or more marriages in the “real” world. They may be secondary to such marriages or more co primary than even those involved realize. If such people are openly poly, those who become romantically involved with them may be expected to meet and be approved of by the Faire spouse before anything becomes serious. Acceptance of the existing relationship may be a condition of marriage if the relationship is important enough to the “secondary” partners.
There have been groups of Faire connected people who have become an intimate network of friends and lovers who share parties at holidays and birthdays as Family by Choice and may even be likely to pick romantic partners from such a group.
Their children may grow up together and become romantically involved or marry each other. Some of those children will follow the example of their poly parents while others rebel against it and may go to extremes of monogamy.